Jack Stands

Those are way too cheap to be OTC branded jackstands, might be legit - but hard to tell from the picture. As for jacks - those are considered light duty jackstands and should be OK for the average DIYer.

echarleswhyte makes a valid point that very cheaply made jackstands might have subpar metallurgy and you could run the risk of those teeth breaking off. For more DIYer - the worry would be more of accidentally bumping the release mechanism and causing the jack the collapse.

Possible that they contracted out to less expensive manufacturers to plump out their bottom line - as they generally run well over $100. Those jackstands look identical to the ones you get bundled with a cheap trolley jack.

The OTC jacks should look like this (note - this particular one is a 22 ton version, about $200 - way overkill for a DIYer):

Flat base, wide saddle, pin engagement. The ones I have, have a round base and adjusts in 2" increments. I don't think they sell those anymore. They sort of look like these - http://www.tooltopia.com/otc-tools-1582.aspx - but hold a lot more weight. Those aluminum OTC jacks would probably work, but their load is a little too light for safely, IMO.

Lots of the time, just have to go to a parts store and look at the jacks there. O'Reily, Autozone, Sears, etc. - lots of places sells jack stands.

As far as which one you should get - that is up to you. It is one of those, how much use will it see sort of thing. I prefer not to recommend any particular piece or part for someone building up your tools. That is the fun part of DIY work, so that should be left up to you - all up to how much you want to get involved and how much you want to spend. A tool that I might find useful could be completely useless or inappropriate for someone else.

Parts or fluids for the car - that's a different story - I'd be too happy recommend a particular brand or part.

I think mine are 6 or 12 ton jack stands, but I don't remember off the top of my head.

OTC is a great brand, but I'd look at others out there as well. Norco, Snap On, Mac, Hein-Werner, Torin, US Jack, etc. Since lots of these are made overseas, have to check them out in person to make sure they look substantial and the welds all look OK. There are a few that are made in the USA - though you should still check on the welds and overall construction.

As for capacity - at the very least, you want ones that could hold the weight of the whole car by itself - that should be a good starting point. If your car's curb weight is 3000 lbs - want to get a minimum of a 2 ton jack stand. Don't need a 12 ton jack stand - but a 6 ton wouldn't be bad to have. Also verify the true capacity - as some jack stands are rated per PAIR!! So a pair of 2 tons jack stands might only hold up 1 ton each - have to read the label carefully. Most of the jacks stands I've seen in retail stores, are rated per pair, unless they specifically list the load per jack.

As with most tools - it is NOT the name brand that should be paramount, it is the proper use and placement. You could have a properly placed cheap $15 Harbor Freight jack stand do better than a poorly placed $5000 US Jack MIL spec's jack stand. I also would entertain the ratchet type jack stands as well, as most of what you'll find in this price range will be this type. Most of the better ones are designed not to loosen, if the saddle is loaded - some even have a second lock (pin) to secure the handle portion.

Nope. Mine are steel.

I haven't seen them smaller than 22 tons. I don't think those OTC 1780 would work for your case - as I think the starting height might be above what most small to medium jacks can lift a car ~ 14", and only goes to 19" with positions every 3". Base is 14" across? That is pretty narrow, best for work in a garage with a smooth floor. Omega makes some that look similar to them, with more range - but cost would be much higher.

Those OTC, interestingly enough, you can find pretty much anywhere for around $175-$200. Too much money for a DIYer, IMO, never get the usage out of them.

Might have to look at the ratchet types, since you want ones with a pin lock - look for those with a secondary lock for safety. Some are a pin lock, some use a spring loaded pawl lock.

There is no standard height on the jack stands - you pick them depending on the how high you need to lift and support the car. Placement also factors into this - dependings on what job you need them for.

You'll have to look at the floor jack you plan on getting - that will say how high it can lift the car. Depending on where you lift up the car and where you intend to put the jack stands - that will tell you the minimum height you need them to be. You can guesstimate by lifting up the car and measure from the ground to potential stand points. Or you can just try a set of jackstands - if they don't work, bring them back.

Those Omega Magic Jacks - they are counter weighted in a way that when you pull on the handle, the ratcheting bar will auto-magically raises on its own - IMO, more of a gimmick than anything, though there might be some cases where that could come in handy. Still limited by the detents on the ratchet bar, so it doesn't mean the auto ratchet has infinite available positions. The other link for the Hein-Werner stands, if they are better? That is more a matter of personal preference. The Hein's are supposed to be made in the US, not sure on the Omega ones - if that means anything. Capacity is the same for both - 6 tons for the pair.

If they'll work - depends if you can get the car high enough to slide those stands in place. The Omega Magic jacks have a minimum height of 15.75", that particular Hein-Werner is a tad taller at 16.25". Most floor jacks will have a lift capability of around 16"-18" or more, depending on the jack - but you also have to keep in mind "where" you want to put the jack. Just because the jack has a max lift of 18", doesn't necessarily mean that a jack stand with a min height of 16" will fit everywhere you want to put it.

That's fine - just have to make sure your hydraulic jack can lift the car high enough to clear the jack stand's minimum height. As for the max height - that is up to you, how comfortable you feel the height you can jack the car up to.

I totally understand - but keep in mind, each and every situation is different. As mentioned before - you can buy the best jack stands money can buy, but if not placed properly - won't protect you at all.

Don't get hung up on brands or which ones people have or which ones are supposedly "safer" - buy a set that fits your budget, learn how to properly place them, see how the car sits on the jack and jack stands As your needs require it - buy more or different jack stands.

The likelyhood of a car falling on you or not depends on how you prepared the work site - if your working on something that can give (dirt, gravel, etc.) or something that is sloped (sloping driveway), then that will dictate what you need. Pretty much any jack and jack stands, properly placed will give you ample protection.

As for or jacks or jack stands collapsing - that almost never happens IF the jacks are used correctly (level ground, weight evenly distributed). Usually, when it happens - usually around professionals, as they can get complacent and not expect there to be any issue or from DIYer that get in a hurry and just toss the jack stand under the vehicle.

Example of a ratchet type jack failure:

Example of a pin type stand failure:

Example of trolley jack failure:

You can search for and find lots of pictures of jack and jack stand failures - even ones from well known companies that folded like tissue paper, because they were not placed properly - regardless if they were the ratchet type or pin type, trolley jack, bottle jack, or floor jack.

Here is an example of a pretty safe way to jack up a vehicle, this particular one was on another forum - full size SUV, they are trying to change out the rear wheel bearing and BBK.

Note the floor jack on the lower control arm, close to where the work will be done. Jack is still engaged to the control arm, it is supporting some weight. They removed the handle from the floor jack, so as to eliminate the chance of anyone tripping over it. Jack stand is placed as close as possible to the jack point, but still enough room allowed for them to do the work, some of the weight is transferred to the jack - rocker is making contact with the load arm. Wheel is shoved under the rocker panel to act as a tertiary safety device. All tools close by, laid out for easy access - floor is concrete and appears to be pretty level.

Notice the label on the jackstands - Duralast part - jack stands cost about $25 for the pair. Nothing fancy, still perfectly safe - all in how you setup.

I think my floor jack is a 3-4 ton model - don't remember the brand, probably a Wesco or Michelin, both I don't think are made anymore - probably close to 15-20 years old now. Weights atleast 120-130 pounds. Technically trolley jacks and floor jacks are different. For a given rating, trolley jacks tend to be lighter and more compact than the floor jack counter parts - up to a certain point.

Might pickup one of the newer aluminum floor jacks here someday, still haven't decided which one yet - tired of rolling out this heavy floor jack and would like to carry one in the car when I do track events.

Whichever is lighter - which I'm assuming will likely be the trolley jack. Most should be low enough to pickup most cars. My Corolla has been lowered on TRD springs, so a trolley jack won't fit under there anymore - I have to use the floor jack.